Other Alaska Research Experience (Pre-2018)
Mike Downs’ experience in conducting social impact assessments and community analyses in Alaska that are not primarily fisheries focused dates back to 1981. The following is a summary of his experience on these types of projects in Alaska before the founding of Wislow Research Associates in 2018.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Social Impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Cleanup, and Litigation, Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska. Co-principal investigator and project manager of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Cleanup, and Litigation: A Collection of Social Impacts Information and Analysis for the Minerals Management Service, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region. The project primarily involved compilation of existing secondary materials, and integration of these data into a CD-ROM database with query functions.
Alaska Conference of Mayors, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Economic, Social, and Psychological Impact Assessment, Various Locations, Alaska. Responsible, in part, for field studies and analysis coordination and primary coordinator of the project's third interim report that focused specifically on the social and psychological impacts of the spill. Conducted field research in the communities of Kenai, Seward, Soldotna, and Valdez.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bowhead Whale Hunting Subsistence Activities in the Beaufort Sea - Potential Impacts Quantitative Description, North Slope, Alaska. Principal investigator for development of research design, research protocols, staffing schedule, and itinerary for implementation of survey, ethnographic, and archival research concerning the effects of offshore oil development activities on subsistence hunting for bowhead whales among the Iñupiat of the North Slope of Alaska.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Researching Technical Dialogue, North Slope, Alaska. Project involved an assessment of the efficacy of technical dialogue communication processes between the agency and the public in two regions of Alaska. This includes an analysis of the role of linguistic and cultural factors as obstacles to communication in these regions.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Traditional Knowledge of Alaska's North Slope, North Slope, Alaska. Leader of subcontract effort to assist UIC in compiling a traditional knowledge database for Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS office. The project involves an effort to incorporate Iñupiat traditional ecological knowledge into the environmental management decision-making process.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Ethnographic Analysis, Point Lay and Point Hope, Alaska. Social scientist, field researcher, analyst, and writer on Minerals Management Service Socio-Economic Studies Program project to prepare an ethnography, including comparative material from Point Hope. Primary field researcher for the Point Hope portion of the study.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Northern Institutional Profile Analysis, Anaktuvuk Pass and Point Hope, Alaska. Coordinated an 8-village study on Alaska’s North Slope including field research. The project involved in-depth characterization of local and regional political, economic, social, and cultural institutions along with detailed community profiles for each village.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Rural Alaska Villages Economic Analysis, Various Locations, Alaska. Analyst, writer, and editor on Minerals Management Service Socio-Economic Studies Program project to describe and analyze rural village economies through the intensive study of three selected villages.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Institutional Change in Nome 1980-1986, Nome, Alaska. Analyst and writer on monitoring study of sociocultural change titled, “Institutional Change in Nome 1980 1986.”
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Aleut Institutional Response and Change, Atka and Unalaska, Alaska. Social scientist, field researcher, analyst, and writer to refine a sociocultural monitoring methodology to assess impacts caused by offshore oil development in Alaskan coastal regions and subsequently apply it to the Aleutian/Pribilof region.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Aleut Institutional Response and Change - Workshop Proceedings, Various Locations, Alaska. Prepared Minerals Management Service Socio-Economic Studies Program Technical Report #126.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Ethnographic Case Study, Unalaska, Alaska. Responsible for four months of field data collection and assisted in the analysis and write up of the materials. Prepared a baseline study to document the community structure in the exploration phase of offshore oil development.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Region Ethnographic Studies, Bristol Bay, Alaska. Study focused on interaction of fisheries and offshore oil and gas development.
US Bureau of Land Management, North Aleutian Shelf Forecast Analysis, Various Locations, Alaska. Prepared non-OCS forecast analysis of the North Aleutian Shelf offshore oil lease sale. Collected and analyzed published, unpublished, and field materials on communities of the southern Alaska Peninsula area.
US Air Force, Technical Assistance for Public Participation, Point Hope, Alaska. Worked with the restoration advisory board of the Inupiat community of Point Hope regarding environmental restoration of a US Air Force long range radar site at Cape Lisburne, Alaska.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Tongass National Forest Madan Environmental Impact Statement, Various Locations, Alaska. Responsible for the socioeconomic component of the EIS. Project involved subsistence, and traditional- and customary-use analysis.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Tongass National Forest - Twin Creek Environmental Assessment, Various Locations, Alaska. Responsible for the socioeconomic component of Twin Creek EA.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Socio-Economic Studies Program Region 10, Various Locations, Alaska. Subcontractor on the Alaska Region contract for Professional Natural Resources Services, Socio-Economic Studies Program Region 10. The contract was to allow the program to obtain professional services in support of natural resource and land management activities on an as-needed (task order) basis.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Kenai Peninsula Sale Program Subsistence Analysis, Various Locations, Alaska. Field researcher, analyst, and writer on the Chugach National Forest project to provide socioeconomic and subsistence analysis of proposed program. Primary responsibility for Primrose Creek/Snow River environmental assessment socioeconomic analysis.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Control Lake Environmental Impact Statement, Various Locations, Alaska. Senior social scientist, field researcher, analyst, and writer on the EIS. Conducted research activities including subsistence and socioeconomic analysis of proposed timber sale options on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest.
US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Lab Bay Environmental Impact Statement, Various Locations, Alaska. Senior social scientist, field researcher, analyst, and writer on EIS. Conducted research activities including subsistence and socioeconomic analysis of proposed timber sale options on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest.
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Subsistence Resource Utilization Impacts Study, Various Locations, Alaska. Social scientist, field researcher, analyst, and writer on the study of subsistence resource utilization impacts of the refuge. The project included description of affected environment, environmental impact statement, and Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) 810 evaluation.
Professional Experience
Education
Current Affiliations
Wislow Research Fisheries Experience (2018-present)
North Pacific Fisheries Experience (Pre-2018)
Fisheries Experience in Other Regions (Pre-2018)
